Today’s top stories in the morning papers in Korea (June 23, 2016)

Round-up: Today’s top stories in the morning papers in Korea (June 23, 2016)

1. There is a growing conflict between the South Korean government and the Sewol Ferry Committee about the duration of the committee’s fact-finding activities. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries officially announced that their activities end at the end of the month, and the committee strongly opposed that the government exceeded its authority.

The only thing the ministry did was to interfere with the activities, and now they tell the committee to stop investigating. That is why we need Sewol Ferry Special Act.

2. Saenuri Party will extend the deadline of the investigation of Sewol Ferry if the Sewol Ferry Committee excludes Chungwadae from the investigation. The ruling party demanded the committee not to extend the investigation into ‘President Park Geun-hye’s absence for seven hours.’ Woo Sang-ho, the floor leader of the Minjoo Party, turned down the suggestion.

Something occurred during the absence. The request makes me wonder what happened during the time.

3. Korea Centers for Disease control and Prevention will come up with the roadmap how fine dust from China affects national health in Korea in the next ten years. While the dust is known to influence the national health significantly in South Korea, the government’s easygoing awareness and lukewarm response are under harsh public criticism.

Do we get to know the effect of fine dust on our health by 2026? That gives me heart attack.

4. As youngsters in South Korea spend more time on smartphones and less time on reading books, their Korean proficiency has significantly dropped. Experts say that their overall thinking skills, judgment and logical skills have decreased as students recently own their smartphones in recent years.

Conversation in family members appears to have disappeared. They can improve their vocabulary when they speak.

5. Devices such as smartphones and tablet PC made workers work more with an average of 1.44 hours a day and 11.3 hours a week. Overtime allowance should be given to these workers because working after leaving the office is an extension of work.

Requesting overtime allowance by checking kakao talk mobile messenger time. Who could dare to ask for the allowance? We should take a rest after we leave work.